


Water In  The Basement

by Cinderella1181



Category: NSYNC
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-08
Updated: 2012-03-08
Packaged: 2017-11-01 15:59:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/358659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cinderella1181/pseuds/Cinderella1181





	Water In  The Basement

Chris sat on the chair in the backyard and looked up at the azure blue sky. That was the one thing that he liked the most about living in Florida. The color of the sky. He looked back out across the pool.

It was another one of those long afternoons when he had little to do. This was the part of being semi-retired, as he had been calling it, that truly sucked. The sitting around, lounging around, waiting for something to happen. The phone to ring, the email to beep, the text alert to bring him back to the world. But today, like many days in the recent past, it was all silent.

Which led him to think about Him. He had tried hard to not think about him. He had tried even harder to not be the one who fell at his feet for every single whim. He would not be the one to go to him and play like nothing was wrong. Everything was wrong. He had been so in love wit him and then, in an instant, it was all over. But he still went back. Back to be his servant. His lapdog.

Chris sighed, wondering if the drama was worth it. He was pretty sure it wasn’t. He just knew that no matter what happened, in the end, he would be there. He was there for all of them when he could be. But none so much as Lance.

He had taken him under his wing when they had first started all of this. Joey had become his best friend, but the relationship that he had with Lance had been different. Really, he had four very different relationships with each of them. They had all been unique, but it had been Lance’s that had filled him with the most joy. He had been the one that wasn’t really a part of them when it all started, but then slowly, they had grown in to the unit they ended up becoming.

It only seemed natural that he had come to him when he was only a kid and told him that he thought he liked boys. Chris smiled a little at him and laid a hand on his shoulder and told him he should experiment. It was natural and that even he had done it. He had looked up at him with those big green eyes and asked him if he minded.

Chris had just laughed then and promised him when he was older and legal he would. He never thought he would have taken it to heart. A little more then a year later, they had been together doing something for Johnny. Just the two of them in New York City and he had shown up at the door. Chris had smiled a little and before he could get any words out, he lunged himself at him and pushed him back in the room.

What had gone on that night had been fun. All the youthful shyness and exuberance wore off as the night wore on, and soon Lance had emerged as a confident lover. Chris had been pleased that he had learned so quickly. Their couplings after that had been whenever they could break away and get a chance.

And then he had pulled away from him. Chris hadn’t thought too much of it at the time. It hadn’t been until the People article came out that the full extent of his jealousy had came to the forefront. He had almost felt totally betrayed. He realized he shouldn’t feel that way, and yet every single time he saw him and he faked the happy smile, he had killed him.

At some point in time, in all of this, he had managed to fall in love with Lance, and he had never told him. So that was the reason why, when he called, he went to him. No matter how many times he had tried to say no, he failed.

And Lance didn’t have a clue.

Lance called him whenever he needed something, which seemed to be all the time, or if he wanted someone to stroke his ego a little. Everyone else in the whole world simply saw Chris being a good friend. No one saw the pain underneath it all. He just lived with it and the constant fear of him calling, asking him to do something and his inability to say no.

And just then, as if he had thought it in to existence, the alert on the phone went off. He looked down at it and saw Lance on the screen. Had he done this? Had he used the power of his mind to bring this about?

However, it had been done. He needed to decide. Should he answer it or should he not? He laughed a little at the thought that deciding to answer the phone should not be this hard nor should it take this much consideration. He let his thumb slide the bar across and held the phone to his ear.

“Hello?”

“Hey, it’s me.” The deep rumble of a voice came over the phone.

“I have caller ID. I know,” he said. He couldn’t help the snark that came out a little in his voice. 

“I am so glad to know you finally learned to read,” Lance replied back with equal amounts of snark in his voice.

Chris couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped his lips. “Finally, after like a hundred years, you have gotten funny. Will miracles never cease?”

“Haha, look, I need to ask you a favor,” he replied.

Of course he did, Chris thought to himself. “What do you need Lance-A-Lot?”

“Really, that was the nickname you decided to resurrect right now?” He laughed a little. “I am coming home to Orlando for Kloey’s baptism, you know godmother and all. Can I crash at your house? I have tenants in mine and Joey’s hosting all of the New York Fatones at his house.”

“Uh when is it? I am getting ready to go and see the little sisters.” Chris lied through his teeth.

“It’s on the 12th. I know for a fact you are going to be there, I already asked Joey,” Lance said.

“Oh, yeah, I guess you’re right. I forgot the date. There have been a lot of dates thrown around lately. Kinda been busy. I guess you can stay here. I have plenty of room,” he replied, his heart screaming the opposite.

Lance was quiet for a second. “Okay. I’m going to be alone, we broke up, so... It will be just me.”

“I heard. Joey called and told me about it. I’m sorry, man. I liked him a lot.” Chris hoped the lie sounded convincing. “We’ll get drunk one night while you are here and burn pictures of him or something.”

Lance laughed. “I would like that. Thank you. You are pretty amazing, you know that, right?”

“I have been told once or twice,” he said. “I am just an all around good guy.”

“You are. You’re my very best guy, Chris. Thanks. I love you for that,” Lance said. “Okay, I should get going.”

“Yeah. I will see you when you get here. Later, man,” he said.

“Later,” he replied and the call ended.

Chris removed the phone from his ear and laid his head back and sighed. What had that conversation meant? He was coming to town, staying with him and he was going to be alone. Did that mean he wanted to play around?

He was even more confused than he had been before. He just knew this wasn’t going to be at all an easy visit for him. He just hoped that he could be strong. But he somehow knew he was going to fail terribly.

\-----

Chris poured the beer into the pilsner and let the head of foam come off it a little before taking a long sip. The baptism party had wound down and now they were all at his house. All of them. Joey, Justin, Lance and even JC had come in for it. And they were all sitting around his living room, drinking beer, talking.

Chris was surprised that he had been as sociable as he had been. It had been weeks since he had seen some of them, a few of them it had been months, but once they had all gotten together, they had fallen in to their old ways and it felt good. It felt right. Having them all back together, having them all be a part of something, had felt just like it always had. He wondered if they all felt it. If each one felt the connection rekindle.  
He wanted noting more than for the link with Lance to be the one that came quickly to the forefront. Since the moment he had seen him, it had been magic. All the feelings that he had been having were gone and he was back to being in love with him, following him around to do little chores here and there like some kind of sick puppy. He was sure this was going to cost him his man card in the end, but he didn’t care. He was there and he was just as handsome as he had always been.

Chris was sure as hell this was all going to end badly. But he didn’t care. He was going to have a good time anyway. He just hoped in the end that his heart didn’t get broken.

“I think it is time that I get going,” Joey finally said, pulling him back in to the moment.

“Yeah, me too. I got a flight in the morning,” JC replied. “When do you fly out, Justy?”

“Tomorrow night, but I am going to Memphis first. I got a few things to do there and then I will be back in LA,” he replied.

“How long is it going to be before we all get back together like this?” Joey asked. “When did we stop being around each other all the time anyway?”

“When we all grew up,” Justin said.

“Well, then let’s grow back down cause this sucks,” Joey said. He stood up and grabbed his keys. “I miss you guys.”

“We miss you, too, Joey,” JC said.

“Well, then let’s work on this. You’re an okay actor, Justin. Just don’t get so full of yourself that you don’t realize you are way more vocally talented.” Joey shook his head. “Chris, later man. Lance, come see us tomorrow. Jace, love you.” He looked at Justin. “I love you, too, kid. This all sets on your shoulders.”

Chris watched as Joey disappeared after that. JC looked at Justin. “You wanna head back to the hotel?”

“Yeah, I guess,” Justin said. “Chris, Lance, it’s been real.”

“Yeah. See you later man,” Lance said.

And it was only a moment or two later that Chris and Lance were alone. Chris sat on the couch and looked at Lance. “Wow.”

“Yeah wow. Where do you think all that came from with Joey?” Lance asked.

“I think he is tired of being home with Kelly and the kids. We used to have so much fun on the road. I think he is getting old and missing that.” Chris shook his head. “You miss it right?”

“The road? Yeah, I guess I do,” he said, taking a drink of his beer. “I miss being on the two man bus with just you.”

Chris looked at him for a second. “Lance...”

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to bring it up,” he said quietly.

“No, don’t be sorry. It’s just, you... me, we..” Chris started. “When we started out, I know I said it was just for fun and it was, but then it changed for me. And then when you came out officially, I thought, well maybe we could, but then you had Reichen, and it just was... difficult to say.”

Lance looked at him, the green depths watching him for what seemed like an eternity. “What are you trying to say?”

Chris sighed deeply and placed his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. He was quiet, trying hard not to be sick. He had never expected this to ever come up and now it had. What on earth was he doing?

He looked up when he felt the couch beside him move. He looked over and met the green. “I fell in love with you, Lance. I couldn’t help it and I have tried hard for these last... years to get over it and move on, but I can’t and every time you call, I go rushing back to you. I have this stupid idea that maybe someday you would just magically fall in love with me, too.” He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I never meant for it to happen, and I certainly didn’t mean for you to ever find out about it. God, I don’t even know why I just said it. You just ended a relationship. You’re in no place to be in one with me. I just...”

“I love you, too,” Lance said quietly.

Chris stopped and looked at him. “What?”

“I love you, too. I have since the first time we kissed. The reason that all the boyfriends I have had in the past haven’t worked is because they aren’t you.” Lance smiled his half lazy Southern smile. “I just never wanted to say anything. I didn’t think you felt the same.”

Chris sat back into the couch and let out a long breath. “Lord, tonight is the night of getting all of your feelings out. I always said we needed to go in to group therapy like Weezer.”

Lance laughed. “Do you really think that would have helped? We have collectively more issues than anyone else we know. Lord, we are even worse off than the Backstreet guys.”

Chris shook his head and snickered a little. “No, I think we are equally issued.” He looked at him for another moment. The silence settled between them before he spoke again. “Did you really mean it?”

“What?”

“The whole, they weren’t me thing?” he asked.

Lance nodded and shrugged a little. “I may not have been in group therapy but I have been in my own therapy and, well, we have worked out a few issues and my being in love with you and comparing everyone to you being the biggest one. You’re kinda a double-edged sword. On one hand, you are the man I love, the man I want, the man who I compare all others too. That being said, you are also the man I love, want and compare.” He smiled a little. “And I do love you, Chris. I always have.”

Chris smiled. “I am glad. I love you, too.” He leaned in and placed a kiss on his lips. It had been a very long time since he had done that, but it felt right, much like it always had. He let his hand find his neck and rest it there.

Lance broke the kiss apart and rested his forehead on his and smiled. “I am glad you agreed to let me stay.”

“I am, too,” he replied. “Maybe you could move out of the guest room?”

Lance laughed. “I think I would like that. A whole lot actually.”

Chris smiled at him. “Good. I am glad I answered that phone call.”

“Me, too. We have a lot of work ahead of us, but I think this will be worth it,” Lance said.

“I know it will be,” Chris said and leaned in to kiss him once again.


End file.
